Revenge certainly is a dish best served cold – there have been countless works across every conceivable artistic medium about the idea of seeking those who wronged you in an effort to force them to pay for their wrongdoing. Entire sub-genres have been created on this topic, and it has been one of those universally resonant subjects that we’ve seen represented on screen on countless occasions. Yet, there’s something quite fascinating about these stories and what they represent – and this is what impelled James Hawes when he set out to make The Amateur, an adaptation of the novel by Robert Littell, which tells the story of a mild-mannered data analyst and technology expert who works for the CIA who is put in a very difficult position when his wife is murdered by a group of malicious criminals. Despite his lack of practical skill or training, the protagonist is insistent on exacting revenge on the people who destroyed his life, and through blackmailing his employers after discovering their indirect complicity in her death, he is able to get the training he needs, which he uses in conjunction with his own knowledge of technology, becoming an unexpectedly talented vigilante and someone who turns out to be a surprisingly painful thorn in the side of multiple sinister figures. A remarkably simple but still extremely entertaining action thriller in which Hawes – who makes quite a steady shift after the more quiet and ruminative One Life last year – captures the spirit of a fascinating novel that he adapts to the 21st century, along with screenwriter Gary Spinelli and Ken Nolan, adding yet another compelling entry into a genre that has become quite trite over time, but which seems to be on the verge of redefining itself through these engaging works that set out to add a more complex set of thematic ideas onto more obvious narrative structures. Well-crafted and very compelling, but also surprising in many areas, The Amateur proves to be a tremendously entertaining film, and one that is far more exciting than we’d anticipate.

By this point, audiences aren’t entirely onboard with vigilante films that follow characters simply setting out to get revenge (although the popularity of Jason Statham films does indicate that this brand of mindless, offbeat fun is still present to a degree), and there needs to be some degree of depth beyond simply the satisfaction of seeing carefully curated acts of violence. The Amateur is a fascinating subversion of our expectations based on the promise we are given from the very start – this is not a film about some expert spy with decades of experience in combat and the most in-depth training, but rather someone who finds that his peaceful, simple existence is shattered after the death of his wife, which ultimately leads to a very harrowing series of encounters that make it clear that necessity breeds innovation. We often look towards film for the sake of aspiration and motivation, and while The Amateur is extremely implausible and not likely to resonate with many of us on a technical level, the surface-level premise of a narrative built around someone becoming a vicious, cold-blooded killer as a means to force criminals to atone for their wrongdoings is very compelling in its way. The entire vigilante genre is built on these ideas, and while it isn’t particularly complex (and in fact, its dedication to simplicity is one of the reasons this film is so effective), it does lend itself to some fascinating discussion, which we find is the root of this film and its unique perspective. Hawes is still relatively untested as a filmmaker, but the writers have a solid amount of experience, and they’re working from a strong novel (the film adaptation from 1981 is a great work in itself, and its wonderful that this film exists to hopefully bring exposure to an equally fascinating film), which gives them the time and space to develop on a lot of the key themes, as well as modernising the technology, as well as the geopolitical details that make The Amateur a far more nuanced film than it seems to be at a cursory glance.

Considering he has come to be seen as something of a persona non grata as a result of his wildly divisive and questionable performance in Bohemian Rhapsody (which I am adamant in believing was not his fault, but rather the result of a very poorly-made film), it has become difficult to view Rami Malek as a truly great actor, despite delivering some astonishing performances over the years, both before and after his ascent to a household name a few years ago. The Amateur is the perfect exemplification of what he can do as an actor, and proves that he is capable of much more than we’d expect. There are moments where he is channeling his true breakout, in the form of Mr Robot, as well as some of his other great performances, which include his villainous turn in Spectre (another polarizing performance, but one that has a lot more merit than most will give credit for), and some independent productions like Buster’s Mal Heart and Papillon – the point is that Malek is extremely gifted, but is also someone whose work isn’t driven by versatility, but rather his ability to play different shades of the same general archetypes. A whip-smart CIA analyst who redefines himself as a cold-blooded vigilante with a taste for revenge is a good opportunity to position Malek in a role in which he is capable, but still pushing him slightly out of his comfort zone, the results being quite strong. The supporting cast is also very good, albeit slightly wasted – there isn’t enough done with Caitríona Balfe and Holt McCallany, who are very interesting characters, but aren’t given much to do outside of acting as propellants for the plot. The two supporting standouts are Laurence Fishburne, as the primary mentor to the protagonist, and Michael Stuhlbarg, who may only have one scene, but once again demonstrates that he’s amongst the greatest actors of his generation, his chameleonic skills being perfectly displayed in the part of this truly sinister villain. We may not always find great performances from the action thriller genre, but the surprising nuance many of these actors bring massively elevates it above our expectations.

In terms of its execution, The Amateur is quite effective, although it does rely slightly too much on the spectacle rather than the details that exist beneath the surface. This is primarily because the film was made to be marketed to audiences who are usually already invested in this kind of straightforward action thriller, rather than those who are agnostic to the genre, which is arguably a much broader category, albeit one that is still worth considering when making such a film. The technical skill behind this film is objectively very impressive – the story is a globetrotting thriller, and the production certainly does not neglect to make this very clear, filming in some of the most beautiful cities across Europe, which prove to be the stage for these tense, compelling moments. Purely on a visual level, The Amateur is very effective – it comes across as a slick, rapid-paced film in which the action is very well-used, but never the sole focus, since it knows that the elements that truly draw the viewer in are not over-the-top setpieces filled with stunning depictions of violence and action, but rather the more emotional elements that accompany them and give the film a sense of purpose beyond just pure excitement and adrenaline. It’s an unexpectedly smart film, and while it isn’t entirely dedicated to the off-kilter premise in some parts (and certain characters are introduced that could have been more effectively used had the film paid attention – we have to wonder whether there was any discussion about turning this material into a limited series, as we’ve seen works like The Day of the Jackal and the Slow Horses novels turned into quite effective shows where the characters on the periphery are given more focus than they would have been in a film), there are aspects that do demand our attention from the start, and we are entirely engrossed in the story after some time, where we find ourselves fascinated by the scope of the film and how it reconciles some very challenging ideas into the form of this rapid-fire, thrilling revenge drama.

The Amateur may not be the film to redefine the spy thriller genre entirely, but it represents a concerted effort to extract the genre from the more obvious pool of ideas in which it usually dwells, being a remarkable breath of fresh air at a time when originality is an even more valuable commodity than ever before. While it is based on a novel (and one that has been adapted previously, as mentioned), it does serve as more of a riff on the core ideas, with a lot of the technology and details surrounding global politics that are amongst the most fascinating aspects of this film being quite original, tailored by the screenwriters to reflect a lot of contemporary ideas to which many of us will find a lot of value, even if the film as a whole can be slightly limited when it comes to being pressed further on some of these ideas. Overall, its a strong effort that may not entirely convert those who aren’t already onboard with this kind of sprawling spy thriller in which the action is foregrounded as the main impetus for the narrative, but it is nonetheless still very entertaining and will likely be surprising to those who don’t necessarily expect much layering from a genre that doesn’t tend to be particularly complex. It’s a well-made film, and Hawes makes a case for himself as a solid genre filmmaker (and his previous output on television does give him a solid portfolio of work as far as different styles are concerned), and overall focuses on giving audiences something memorable and compelling, rather than trying to mangle itself into a more unique but far less effective format. Sometimes simplicity is the key to success, and while several aspects of The Amateur prove to be quite bold and ambitious, the overall production focuses on the core principles that have always made this genre so incredibly entertaining and captivating.